Air conditioner testing system, air-conditioning system simulator, and program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9817410-B2
Application number	US-201214388073-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2012
Priority date	Mar 30, 2012
Publication date	Nov 14, 2017
Grant date	Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

A test device simulator simulates the behavior of a test device to be tested on the basis of content indicating an input operation by a user, data transmitted from an air-conditioning system simulator, and device object data stored in a data storage. In the case in which the simulation generates data to transmit to the air-conditioning system simulator, the test device simulator transmits that data to the air-conditioning system simulator. The air-conditioning system simulator includes multiple simulation process sections. Each simulation process section, on the basis of content indicated by the input operation performed by the user on the device simulated by the simulation process section itself, data addressed to that device transmitted from the test device simulator, and the device object data stored in the data storage and corresponding to that device, simulates the behavior of that device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air conditioner testing system comprising:
a test device simulator that simulates behavior of a test device to be tested, the test device being an air conditioner among a plurality of air conditioners that constitute an air-conditioning system, the plurality of air conditioners includes the test device to be tested and other air conditioners; and
an air-conditioning system simulator that simulates behavior of the other air conditioners among the plurality of air conditioners;
wherein the test device simulator includes
a first controller,
a first operation receiver that receives a first input operation from a user, and sends to the first controller a signal related to the received first input operation,
a first data storage that stores device object data that is the same as device object data loaded in the test device, and
a first communicator that, under control by the first controller, performs data communication with the air-conditioning system simulator via a first network,

the first controller includes
a CPU that executes a first simulation program stored in the first data storage to provide,
a first simulation process section that simulates behavior of the test device based on content indicated by the first input operation from the user, data transmitted from the air-conditioning system simulator, and the device object data stored in the first data storage, and
a first data transmitter/receiver that supplies data transmitted from the air-conditioning system simulator to the first simulation process section, and in addition, in a case in which the first simulation process section generates data to transmit to the air-conditioning system simulator, supplies the data to the first communicator,

the air-conditioning system simulator includes
a second controller,
a second operation receiver that receives a second input operation from the user, and sends to the second controller a signal related to the received second input operation,
a second data storage that stores device object data that is the same as device object data loaded in each of the other air conditioners, and
a second communicator that, under control by the second controller, performs data communication with the test device simulator via the first network,

the second controller includes a CPU that executes a second simulation program stored in the second data storage to provide second simulation process sections and second data transmitters/receivers,
each second simulation process section
corresponds to one air conditioner among the other air conditioners, and
simulates behavior of the one air conditioner to which the second simulation process section corresponds, based on content indicated by the second input operation, data that is transmitted from the test device simulator to the one air conditioner to which the second simulation process section corresponds, and the device object data that is stored in the second data storage and corresponds to the one air conditioner to which the second simulation process section corresponds, and

each second data transmitter/receiver
corresponds to one air conditioner among the other air conditioners, and
supplies data that is transmitted from the test device simulator to the one air conditioner to which the second data transmitter/receiver corresponds, to a corresponding second simulation process section, and in addition, in a case in which the corresponding second simulation process section generates data to transmit to the test device simulator, supplies the data to the second communicator.

2. The air conditioner testing system according to claim 1 , wherein
the first simulation process section includes
a first board simulator that simulates behavior of a control board provided in the test device, and
a first peripheral device simulator that simulates behavior of a designated peripheral device connected to the control board, and

each second simulation process section includes
a second board simulator that simulates behavior of a control board provided in the one air conditioner to which the second simulation process section corresponds, and
a second peripheral device simulator that simulates behavior of a designated peripheral device connected to the control board.

3. The air conditioner testing system according to claim 2 , wherein
the first board simulator, in the case of information input/output, uses a register or buffer pre-associated with a port according to the specifications of the control board provided in the test device, and
the second board simulator, in the case of information input/output, uses a register or buffer pre-associated with a port according to the specifications of the control board provided in the one air conditioner to which the second simulation process section corresponds.

4. The air conditioner testing system according to claim 2 , wherein
the first peripheral device simulator provided in the first simulation process section simulates behavior of a sensor that detects a designated environmental parameter, and
the second peripheral device simulator provided in each second simulation process section simulates behavior of a sensor that detects the environmental parameter.

5. The air conditioner testing system according to claim 4 , wherein
the first controller additionally includes a first environmental parameter configuration receiver that receives a configuration of the environmental parameter by the user, and
the second controller additionally includes, for each of the other air conditioners, a second environmental parameter configuration receiver that receives a configuration of the environmental parameter by the user.

6. The air conditioner testing system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a test support device;
wherein the test support device includes
a third controller,
a third operation receiver that receives a third input operation from the user, and sends to the third controller a signal related to the received third input operation, and
a third communicator that, under control by the third controller, performs data communication with the test device simulator via the first network, and
the third controller decides content of a communication test of communication with the test device on the basis of content indicating the third input operation by the user, and on the basis of the decided content of the communication test, performs data communication with the test device simulator via the third communicator.

7. The air conditioner testing system according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a test support device;
wherein the test support device includes
a fourth controller,
a fourth operation receiver that receives a fourth input operation from the user, and sends to the fourth controller a signal related to the received fourth input operation, and
a fourth communicator that, under control by the fourth controller, performs data communication with the test device simulator and the air-conditioning system simulator via a second network, and
the fourth controller receives a configuration of the environmental parameter for a specified air conditioner of the plurality of air conditioners, the specified air conditioner being specified by the user from among the plurality of air conditioners that constitute the air-conditioning system, and sends on the second network an environmental parameter configuration information that includes information identifying the specified air conditioner, and the configured environmental parameter.

8. An air-conditioning system simulator comprising:
a controller;
an operation receiver that receives an input operation from a user, and sends to the controller a signal related to th

Assignees

• Suzuki Shigeki
• Kushiro Noriyuki
• Nakamura Shinji
• Ito Yoshiaki
• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Suzuki Shigeki
• Kushiro Noriyuki
• Nakamura Shinji
• Ito Yoshiaki

Classifications

• F24F11/89

  Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices · CPC title

• F24F11/64

  using pre-stored data · CPC title

• F24F2120/20

  Feedback from users · CPC title

• F24F11/43

  of indoor units · CPC title

• G06F30/20 Primary

  Design optimisation, verification or simulation (optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30) · CPC title